Penstemon: Penstemon

After a few months of absence on my page, here I catch

Penstemon parry in my front yard garden. Every year we have more volunteers!

up with you and I want to share this herbaceous plant that blooms every year here in Tucson and in various areas of the Sonoran Desert. The truth is I don't know how the penstemons are called in Mexico, if anyone knows write the name in the comments please! According to google, it’s called Lengua de barba, and according to the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum, it’s called Jarritos. But hey! these plants give beautiful flowers, they are ideal for pollinator gardens, and there are a lot of types of penstemons, here I will mention three of them.

Penstemon parry (pink flowers) y Penstemon eatonii (red flowers) and a little bee flying

In Arizona and part of Sonora we have the beautiful Penstemon parry. Its leaves are blue-green, and its flowers are pink. The plant can grow up to 3 ft in height and over time they release their seeds and expand. A characteristic of this type of penstemon is that here in Arizona it "sleeps" in the summer (it likes the cold) and it is recommended that the flowers be pruned once they have dried. When the flowers dry, they get the shape of a little ball that contains many seeds; you can save them and wait to scattered them in the fall so that in spring they will bloom and cover your entire yard. In their natural habitat, penstemons are generally found on rocky and/or sandy plains, blooming in spring and early summer, and “resting” in late summer and fall.

Another type of penstemon is Penstemon eatonii, here in Arizona they call it Firecracker Penstemon. Very similar to Penstemon parryi, but this type has red flowers instead of pink. They can grow up to 2 ft tall and can also be found in rocky terrain and streams.

Penstemon eximius, endemic of Baja California. (c) Christian Schwarz

In the Baja California peninsula we have an endemic species: Penstemon eximius. It is found in the rocky and sandy areas of the streams, particularly in the north of the peninsula near the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir and in the center of the peninsula, by Cataviña and its surroundings. Its flowers are white with lilac, and its leaves are radiant green. They can reach up to almost 6ft high.

There are many more types of Penstemons in the Sonoran Desert, some endemic to specific areas. If you want to have hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, colors and life in your garden, penstemons are the #1 option to achieve an astonishing garden.

Penstemon parry in my patio in Tucson, Arizona.

Type: Herbaceus perennial, some are dormant during late summer to winter.

Size: From 1ft to 6ft, depending on the type of penstemon.

Water use: They need water to germinate and establish themselves. They do not need watering once established.

Flower season: At the end of winter, spring and some flowers make it to summer.

Flowers: They are found in different colors such as red, white, pink, white with lilac, orange and purple.

Food for: Pollinators love these plants, you will fill your garden with hummingbirds, native bees and butterflies.

Where to plant: Direct sun or in partial shade.

Distribution: They are found in and out of the Sonoran Desert. Europeans became obsessed with these plants and have created many hybrids.

Ancestral use: I did not find information on its ancestral use and history, if anyone knows, please share!

Landscape design: Penstemons look beautiful in bunches, but can also be mixed with other plants such as native grasses and Globe mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua), and ground covers like Dalea greggii. This combination of plants will look even more beautiful if they are placed in basins or depressions where rainwater is collected.

Sources:

Books:

• Baja California Plant Field Guide 3rd Edition, Norman C. Roberts and J. Rebman.

• Native Plants for Southwestern Landscapes by Judy Mielke.

Web:

- www.desertmuseum.org/visit/sheets/Penpar.pdf

Pachycereus pringlei: Cardon.

The cardon cactus, or Mexican giant cactus is found in the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, and Sonora, Mexico. It is known as the giant of the Sonoran Desert and is known to be the tallest cactus in the world, reaching up to 68ft tall. I'm sure someone from

Cardon cactus in Sonora, Mexico.

Sonora will comment that the saguaro is the tallest, but nope, the saguaro is in second place. Another difference between the cardon and the saguaro is that the cardon grows faster and can develop many more arms. Normally it is always seen surrounded by more cardons (it likes to hang out with its buddies), it is rare to see only one in its natural habitat. The cardon is sensitive to low temperatures, but it is perfectly adapted to the arid climate and droughts, since its "body" is capable of storing water as a reserve, which allows it to last for years without rain, and these reserves of water give it the meaty or succulent look.

The Lesser long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae) with a cardon's flower

In the spring, the cardon bears small white flowers that open in the afternoon and die the next day around noon. The flowers are pollinated especially by bats such as the Lesser Long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae), and by moths, since these are nocturnal pollinators. When the flower is pollinated, it bears a round green fruit, which later ripens and turns red, it is a favorite fruit of different birds, bats and mammals. Cardon fruits were a staple food for the indigenous people of the Sonoran Desert region. They crushed the seeds and powdered them, then added water and made a type of pinole. They also used the trunk or "ribs" to build their houses.

Big cardon cactus in front of a historical house in Todos Santos, BCS, Mexico.

Here in Tucson it is said that all houses should have at least one saguaro in their gardens, now I say that all Baja Californian houses should have at least one cardon in their gardens, why? Well, because as cities have expanded, natural vegetation has been eliminated and we are banishing this important plant that provides food and shelter to wildlife. In addition, it is representative above all of the Baja California Norte and Sur peninsula, it should be a focal point plant in our gardens and parks, proudly representing our Baja California roots!

Type: Columnar cacti, the tallest of the world!

Size: Can grow up to 68ft tall.

Water use: Very little, likes arid climate. If transplanted, it is recommended to give slow and short waterings during the hottest and driest summers, taking care not to flood around its trunk, this will help it get established and then it will not require watering.

Flower season: Spring.

Flowers: Small white flowers, nocturnal.

Food for: Flowers are pollinated by bats and other insects such as moths. The fruits are food for lizards, birds, such as the woodpecker, bats and other mammals.

Where to plant: It needs direct sun, so it can develop and mature properly.

Distribution: Baja California, Baja California Sur and Sonora, Mexico.

Ancestral use: The fruit was a staple food for the indigenous people of the Sonoran Desert, it was so important because it provided food in the driest time of the year. It's trunk or "ribs" were also used to create structures and reinforce their houses.

Landscape design: It makes a great columnar focal point, which means you can place it in your garden as a kind of quick attention-grabbing piece of art, it can be placed in the middle of a patio, in a boring corner, or near places to sit and admire it. They are ideal for xeriscape gardens, combined with Desert Sotol (Dasylirion wheeleri) and minor cacti such as Opuntia basilaris. You have to take into account that it can grow many arms, and that is why it may not be a very good idea to put it next to walls, you have to give it its space to grow and look gorgeous over time.

Cardon cactus on a front yard, showing their unique textures, La Paz, BCS, Mexico.

Sources:

Book:

- Baja California Plant Field Guide 3rd Edition, Norman C. Roberts and J. Rebman.

Web:

- http://www.scielo.org.mx/pdf/au/v27n5/2007-9621-au-27-05-11.pdf

The Sonoran Desert

I wanted to make a post about the Sonoran Desert just to provide some context, about why we post plants from this area of the world. As some of you know, I am originally from Mexico, specifically from Mexicali, B.C., but I grew up and lived for many years in Cd. Constitución and La Paz B.C.S.

Illustrated Map of the Book Native Plants for Southwestern Landscapes by Judy Mielke

For some strange reason, I never knew that these cities were in the Sonoran Desert, I knew about the sub-regions such as the Llanos de Magdalena and the Vizcaíno Desert; but it wasn't until I moved to Tucson, Arizona that I started hearing more and more about the Sonoran Desert by itself.

This beautiful desert is shared between two nations: the United States of America and Mexico, encompassing the states of Arizona, California, Sonora, Baja California and Baja California Sur. It is considered the hottest desert in Mexico and the United States; and it is the most biodiverse in the world, which means that it has many different species of fauna and flora, the best known worldwide are the columnar plants such as cardones and saguaros.

Boojum trees and Cardones near Cataviña, Baja California.

Its natural history tells that 65 million years ago, shortly after the dinosaurs became extinct, this area was covered with tropical plants such as ferns and palm trees. 15 million years later, coastal regions began to get hotter and that is when deciduous trees (trees that shed their leaves seasonally), began to become more common in response to increasingly frequent droughts. It is thought that it was in these times when cacti originated in this dry-tropical climate and it was shortly after this, when "modern" reptiles such as turtles and lizards began to form part of the ecosystem. A series of huge volcanic eruptions 23 million years ago caused major changes in this area.

An imposing saguaro in Sabino Canyon, Arizona.

In Mexico the great Sierra Madre arose and this caused changes to the north, since this elevation limited the tropical climate to the coastal lands of southern Mexico and South America. It is believed that 8 million years ago the Sonoran Desert already had the characteristics that we see now, most of the plants that we now know gradually evolved and adapted to this semi-arid climate that we now have. The separation of the Baja California peninsula from the rest of the continent due to the San Andreas Fault, caused evolutions and adaptations in certain plants and animals, giving us interesting endemic species, which are only found in certain areas, especially in the islands of the Pacific and the Gulf of California.

Of course, there is still much to explain about the natural history of this desert, but it will take me forever. If you want to learn more about the subject, I suggest the book A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert, published by the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and different authors.

Mount Lemmon, one of many "sky islands" just a 30-minute drive from Tucson, Arizona.

Those of us who live in this desert we are lucky of having many different ecosystems within our reach: in Baja California North and South we have sea, islands, dunes, mountains, oases; in Arizona and Sonora we have riparian areas, wetlands and the mountains known as sky islands because they change drastically as you go up them, starting from the bottom in the desert and ending at the top with pines and firs like you're in Canada. Without a doubt, the Sonoran Desert is a unique place to live and needs to be more appreciated by all its inhabitants.

Oasis of San Ignacio in Baja California Sur, one of several oases in this beautiful State in Mexico.

Sources:

• Book: Deep History of the Sonoran Desert. In book: A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert (pp.63-70) Edition: 2nd. Chapter: 9. Publisher: University of California Press, Oakland, California Editors: Mark A. Dimmitt, Patricia Wentworth Comus, Linda M. Brewer. Online: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305489152_Deep_History_of_the_Sonoran_Desert

• https://skyislandalliance.org/las-islas-del-cielo/

• Book: Native Plants for Southwestern Landscapes, by Judy Mielke. University of Texas Press, 1993.